28 FOREST CULTURE AND 
generally at a yearly increase, through new gold dis- 
coveries in the district spoken of, and elsewhere. 
Although, on the Clunes mines, the price of wood has 
not materially risen during the last six years, it must 
be borne in mind that remuneration of labor has sunk, 
indicating, in reality, a considerable increase in the 
price of the fuel. New railway lines may, certainly, 
bring wood, for a time, at moderate prices, to the mi- 
ners ; but this measure copes not with the real diffi- 
culty of the wood question, but only defers it, as such 
sources of supply will also become exhausted, while 
carriage, from an indefinite distance, will become a 
financial impossibility. The present price of coal, at 
Clunes, is far too high to allow it to be substituted for 
wood. Now let us pass on to still other considerations 
bearing on this question. It so happens that the de- 
crease of timber in our colonies is hastened by other 
agencies than those of sacrifice for utilitarian supply. 
Irrespective of the ordinary causes by which, in many 
countries, the virgin forests became devastated, there 
are, additionally, others which operate in our colony 
to augment the extensive destruction of woods. The 
miner ignites the underwood, with a view of uncover- 
ing any quartz-reefs or tracing mineral riches of other 
kinds. Although he desires only to force thus his way 
through a limited space of scrub, or uncover, for inspec- 
tion, a small extent of ground, he really sets, some- 
times, the whole forest on fire, unchaining the furies of 
the fiery element, which, in its ruinous and rapid prog- 
ress, consumes innumerable stately trees, requiring the 
growth of one or even several centuries to attain their 
spacious dimensions. The burning trees, a prey of the 
flames, carry with them many others in their fall; 
